Using the Story of Eve to Find our Path on this Walk of Faith!
The W.I.T. (Women in Training) Ministry
We are going to use the Story of Eve as a starting point for figuring out who we are as women in Christ. This first event will allow us to explore our knowledge of self through the use of the Tree of Knowledge: past (roots), present (fruits), and the future (leaves). The goal is to determine (1) who we are as women, and (2) who/where we are as religious, church, spiritual beings.
Key Players
Adam
- 1st Man created by God
- 1st person created by God
- Forbidden to eat of Tree of Knowledge
Eve
- 1st Woman created by God, 2nd person created by God
- Created by God from Adam’s rib
- Ate from the forbidden fruit of Tree of Knowledge
- Fed Adam from the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge
- Named Woman (in Hebrew Ishshah) by Adam “for this one was taken from a man” (Gen 2)
- Renamed Eve (in Hebrew Hawwā) “because she was the mother of all living” (Gen 3)
Tree of [All] Knowledge
- Also called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
- Also called the Tree of Conscience
- Located in the Garden of Eden
- Eating of its fruit is forbidden
- Eve and Adam eat it anyways
- The type of fruit is unknown (never mentioned)
Serpent
- “slier than every beast of the field.”
- Tempts the woman to eat from the tree of knowledge
GOD
- All knowing
- All seeing
- Creator of Heaven, Earth and all things
- Has many names/titles, here are some:
o YHWH (pronounced Yah-ho-vah, read as Adonai) means my Lord o HaShem (the Name, Leviticus 24:11)) o Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh (I am that I am, Exodus 3:14) o El (Deity, Genesis 33:20) o Elah (Awesome, Daniel 2:23; 47, Ezra 5:1; 7:19; 23) o Elohim (Master) o Elyon (Supreme, God Most High) o Roi (Seeing, Genesis 16:13) o Shaddai (All Mighty, Genesis 28:3) o Shalom (Peace, Judges 6: 24) o Shekhinah (presence, of God, descending and dwelling amongst us) Feminine Gender in Hebrew
We Journey Together
BREAKFAST DISCUSSION: Genesis 1: 26-28 God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
- If we are created in the image of God, why do so many people, especially women, suffer from low self-esteem?
- In what ways are you like Eve? How are you different?
- Have you ever been made to feel bad about how you look or act? What did you do?
Session 1: Where do we come from (Past History / ROOTS)? Think about where you come from. What type of family environment do you come from? What spiritual/religious/church environment were you brought up in?
- Family of Origin
- Personal History
- Religious/Church/Spiritual History
Session 2: Who are we now (Present Day Story / FRUITS)? Think about who you are now. What type of person are you today? What do you like? Who are you spiritually/religiously?
- On a Journey
- Personal History
- Religious/Church/Spiritual History
Session 3: Where are we going (Planning for the Future/LEAVES)? Think about your future. Where are you going? Who do you want to be in the future?
- Walk of Faith
- Personal History
- Religious/Church/Spiritual History
Worship Service
Opening Prayer: Call and Response
Adult Leader: [Great] God, I call to You from the far side of the morning, from the wellspring of the past. Raise up to life within me the child of Your new creation, the child of [Your] imagination,
All: To love, laugh, live fully the good news of belonging to the household of Your grace.
Adult Leader: Let [us] live to see You face to face, in this world and in the world to come, [Great] God.
Child Leader: Dear God, this is Your daughter. Teach me how to pray.
Choir: Dear God, Your world is wonderful. Come on out and play.
Child Leader: You tell me so many secrets. How very wise You are. Promise me You’ll hear me when I wish upon a star.
Choir: May Your green wood’s last forever. May I never grow too tall to imagine You [in my heart].
Child Leader: Dear God, You know I love You. What else is there to say?
All: Dear God, Your world is wonderful. Thank You for another day. Amen!
Read Genesis 1: 26-28 God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
Discussion Question: Have you ever been made to feel bad about how you look or act? What did you do?
Little Girl’s Psalm and Isaiah 42:14-16
Child Leader: Dear God, this is Your daughter. Teach me how to pray. You tell me so many secrets…You promise You’ll hear me. Dear God, You know I love You. What else is there to say?
All: For a long time I have held my peace, I have kept still and restrained myself; Now I will cry out like a woman in pain, I will gasp and pant. I will lay waste mountains and hills, I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, By paths, they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, The rough places into level ground. These are the things my God allows me to do, and I will not forsake them.
Blessing
Adult Leader: May we walk the pilgrim path of life, with Holy Wisdom at our side. All: Amen!
Adult Leader: May we be filled to overflowing with love and courage, enough to birth God’s creation, again and again. All: Amen!
Adult Leader: May we continue to have our eyes opened to Wisdom, for the sake of every new world. All: Amen!
Closing Service: A Psalm for Girls
All Girls: This is a blessing time, when our female bonds are forming.
All Adults: The first time, you were there in the midst of woman’s world weaving a web of relationship.
All Girls: This is a blessing time, with our female gifts maturing.
All : How beautiful are the little girls who stand on the threshold, Shekina-Shaddai. Your daughters praise You!
Reference Materials
Δ The Bible: Genesis 1-3
Δ Essex, Barbara: Women in the Bible, pg. 15-19 and Bad Girls of the Bible, pg. 1-14
Δ Matthews, Caitlin: The Blessing Seed
Δ Ulterino, Gloria: Walking with Wisdom’s Daughters, pg. 77-84
Δ Winter, Miriam Therese: The Chronicles of Noah and Her Sisters, pg. 35-37 and WomanWisdom, pg. 363-364 and WomanWord, pg. 64-65
ThruELLY 